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Congratulations to our Fundamental Chess Academy Team: Queen and Kings for winning the 2015 US Amateur Team West Scholastics! Kaitlyn, Marcus, Derrick, and Ram also won Top Board honors with three perfect scores! (US Chess Federation article:http://www.uschess.org/content/view/12969/798/)

Fundamental Chess Academy (serving Santa Ana, Irvine, and the surrounding Orange County communities) offers beginner through advanced level chess lessons and chess classes and also USCF-rated tournaments for the competitive chess player. Each student is thoroughly trained to compete in local, state, and national tournaments depending on their individually set goals. Students will also get a chance to compete together on our club team at various tournaments.

Core Benefits:

• Playing chess teaches students to build focusand patiencein order to carefully make logical and accurate decisions.

• Students develop self-discipline through hard workand sportsmanship, both necessary attributes of the successful chess player.

• And finally, chess empowers students to consistently give their best effortat all times, whether we are winning or losing. Chess is the ultimate game to exercise your mental abilities and of course, have fun!

Derek Tanis a US Chess Federation National Master and the founder of Fundamental Chess Academy. He has been teaching chess to young players and adults for ten years and has coached many of his students into the USCF Top 100 for their respective age groups. As a player, he was the 2006 and 2008 CA High School State Champion and served as the President & Captain of the UCLA Chess Team. He graduated from UCLA (B.S. in Physiology) in 2012.